Re: Log 5-6
Screed is working on the EMP gun to reverse its polarity.
Jade lights up the blowtorch and starts the drill simultaneously. The flash of light from the blue flame illuminates the mutant creature that once...maybe...had come from human stock. But now it is alien in appearance, its ears pointy, its face hairless, with large eyes, sharp teeth, and razor-like claws.
It screeches a high-pitched scream when the drill starts, and it jumps up with amazing strength to get lost in the wires and pipes of the ceiling, out of range of the light of the blowtorch.
Dracos and Cistron fire at the creature, but their shots miss because just then, Shadow punches the acceleration, and the ship lurches up. The sudden motion dislodges the creature, which falls 12 feet down to the floor about 7 feet in front of you.
Shadow's driving, however, is right on, and the Hyperion misses the ceiling of the tunnel structure and begins marching forward.
The creature, however, is not happy. The instant it hits the ground, it rolls. Cistron and Dracos manage to fire off two more shots, but the creature has moved out of the room and is apparently hiding in the computer control room.
Dracos and Cistron are both thinking the same thing...that they'd probably hit the creature if only they had been in the Matrix.
The light on the blowtorch picks that moment to start to go out.
Jade has 10 seconds left of blowtorch fuel.
It will take 1-3 seconds to move into the far room and perhaps spot the creature.
Screed must make 5 successful skill checks (one allowed each second) to change over the polarity of the gun.
Shadow sees that the sudden energy boost and the creature attacks have left the Hyperion's tanks with a slow leak and limited fuel. Up ahead, he can choose to take the short and dangerous path towards Zion or the longer and safer one, the latter for which may or may not put you within radio contact of Zion. (Both depend on skill checks.)